The New Yashica Unveils Their Epic Camera... and It's For Hipsters

What exactly are we looking at? Is that film being loading into a digital camera? Nope. Is that an actual roll of film being loaded into a film camera? Wrong again. What we have here is much more ludicrous.

A month ago we wrote about the "comeback" of legendary camera company Yashica. We also noted that the Yashica trademark was purchased by Hong Kong's Jebsen Group recently. So, all that heritage and camera making means nothing, as they merely purchased a legendary name. They also started a Kickstarter and released a cryptic video announcing big things were to come. On their own website, they started peddling a small Yashica branded 360 camera, but that's not the big news. The big news is this:

The new Yashica company has raised almost one million dollars (at the time of this posting) on Kickstarter for a cheap novelty digital camera. First of all, let's look at the specs before we tear into this thing.

1/3.2-inch CMOS sensor

14-megapixel photos

Built-in viewfinder

F2.8 lens

Focal Length 35mm

A minimum focusing distance of 1m (~3 feet) to infinity

5 selectable steps shutter speeds 1s, 1/30s, 1/60s, 1/250s, 1/500s

SD card storage (wifi card compatible)

Micro USB connectivity for data transfers

Tripod mount ready

Operate with 2 x AA batteries

Five shutter speeds? Two AA batteries? But those are not the craziest thing about this camera. In order to change either the ISO or shoot black and white... you have to change out the fake roll of film in the back. Yes, those are real words that were typed on the internet. You need to change out the fake roll of film in the back to change the style of shooting you want to do, and so far, there are four of them. Four little plastic containers to lose and to take up pocket space. Here are promo photos from the company showing the different revolutionary things you can achieve with its new digiFilm system.

digiFilm™ - ISO1600 High Speed

High contrast. Grainiest photography

Capture true color even in low light condition

For shooting fast-moving objects

digiFilm™ - Black & White

Film speed ISO400

Film grain effect.

High contrast in Black and White

Retro photography style

digiFilm™ - ISO200 Ultra Fine

Sharp image

Standard color balance

digiFilm™ - 120 Format (6x6)

Film speed ISO200

Square format photographs

Fits for Instagram

Oooh, that last one takes square pictures for Instagram. What on earth have you been doing before this amazing invention came about? The rolls don't even have SD cards in them! This entire set up reminds of past visions of our future. Like this camera would be in an old episode of the Outer Limits or something where someone went to the future and all the images they wanted could be taken with just four little plastic rolls. Thanks, Hipsters.

Say it's high noon out on a cloudless day. With a 2.8 aperture lens and a shutter speed limit of 500, your only option of getting anything even remotely not blown out is a square image.

I will say this. The camera is affordable. The price is 1,108 HK$ ($142) with two cartridges, or 1,248 HK$ ($160) with all four. To advertise it as anything more than a novelty or children's toy is kind of crazy.

If you're into gimmicks like this please feel free to add to their ludicrous pile of money on Kickstarter. The odds of you ever getting one seem.... who cares. The Olympus PEN F offers access to much better glass and does everything you see here BETTER better. So get one of those.